Proofreader: azzianna

"Phum, Phum ka, what's wrong?"

I didn't know if Phum had something wrong, but I definitely had. I had a tingling sensation because Beer's arm was on my neck.

"Hey, slow down. Why are you walking like a buffalo running after you*? You walk so fast."

[*ตามควาย idiom (lit) walking like a buffalo (fiv) to hurry. I tweak it a little bit 😁]

"I'm walking fast, which might look like I'm running away from you. Why are you still coming after me? You stay away from me, I'm hot."

"But I'm cold."

"Cold?" I stopped walking and stood, staring at his face. If the nearly-40-degree weather makes him feel cold, I might have to call the emergency service. And I didn't know if my face was funny or if there was something funny about it, Beer couldn't stop laughing. He agreed to take his heavy arm off my shoulder, then he held out his hand as if offering me to walk first. It made me reassess my judgment that Beer was no longer a handsome, sad-eyed young man with a sweet, gentle smile, but a man who acts like an aristocrat that is extremely irritating.

Beer and I wandered around aimlessly, but it was fun and comfortable. Having said that, he and I had only just known each other for a short time , but it's as if we've been close friends since our past lives.

I pulled on the thread and found out that Beer had to come to Loy Krathong all alone because his girlfriend was angry with him. He still hadn't succeeded in reconciling with her, so his girlfriend dumped him and went out with her friends instead. After listening, I didn't know who to feel sorry for. Let me feel sorry for myself first.

No matter which faculty's shop, which club's booth the two of us walked past, Beer was often dragged into games by seniors and juniors or asked to buy goods at almost every shop. He never refused. Plus, they cooperated so well that I wondered what kind of person he is. Damn! He is extremely kind and friendly. Not like Ai... That's it. I'm going crazy. Just being distracted a little bit, I happened to think about a person I shouldn't think about again.

Yes, uh, that's it. When Beer had to play games a lot, he had to leave his cell phone with me because he was afraid he would lose it. What about me? What did I do? I stood there like a sleepy cat, waiting for him. How to walk with friends but feel like you're walking alone. I'll write a review thread on Pantip soon. Besides being bored because I had to stand and wait, I was also bored because Beer liked to make mysterious expressions on his face and say strange things. I felt even more sorry that this happened.

"Just play, I'll help you."

"Slow down, be careful or you will miss it."

"Shall we go ahead with it? How about tonight?"

I didn't know what he was saying. Don't pay any attention to him. It's better to pay attention to this matter. I couldn't believe that there are people who know me. Please allow me to smile with pride for one minute. Even if they are not someone unfamiliar. They're from our neighborhood - Architecture juniors. But it's a pleasure to have people remember us, isn't it? These guys are known as dumb and crazy as Art students. So it makes us not afraid of each other. I was dragged by them to throw a boy (maybe) into the water. I was forced to buy a Siakban doll and a straw voodoo doll the size of a fist. It must be their handmade work. I really like them. They're so creative. So I left a tip of five baht like rich people would.

*ตุ๊กตาเสียกบาล clay doll offered to a ghost when a child comes down with an illness believed to be caused by the ghost, in hope that the ghost would harm or take away the doll instead of the child.

"Hia!!!"

Damn, the ghost doll in my hand almost fell off. My legs suddenly stopped. The body's operating system sends an alarm as soon as it hears the sound a few moments ago, along with an automatic resistance command. Maybe it's not that Peem. There was no sound at all. Your ears were ringing. Your ears were hallucinating. You were just dreaming. I consoled myself and took a deep breath into my lungs. I was about to take another step.

"Hia Peeeeeeeeeem!!!!!!"

[*Toey is of Chinese descent, so he uses Chinese pronouns with everyone, except... 😆 ]

Okay, the news is over. It's not a dream anymore. My beautiful Loy Krathong day is over.

I slowly turned around to look behind me in despair. What I saw was a young boy with a white handsome face, standing with a dreamy expression, carrying a skateboard and a large bag, looking disheveled. Even if you look from the Altai mountain, you will know that he is a Chinese descendant. But he likes to dress like he's straight out of an American high school teen movie. Needless to say, he just came after b- dancing, b-boying and skating, and hasn't changed yet. That boy ran up to me in a frenzy, his tail wagging, his head raising, his ears perking up, and he clung to my legs like a temple dog seeing the abbot. The boy I'm talking about is Ai Toey, a living creature that's ready to cause headaches to everyone in his path.

"Hia, are you coming to float Krathong too? Who are you coming with? Why didn't you invite Toey? Or did you come to cheer on Toey's dancing? Oh, I'm really touched. Oh, but Toey has already finished dancing. Hia, there were so many people watching. But Champ wasn't there to watch Toey. He went to float Krathong with his girlfriend. And bastard Matt, that puppy, he wasn't there too. By the way, which booths have you stopped at? Have you been to our faculty's booth? Come on, I'll take you there. This way."

There's no doubt, right? Why do I have a mental breakdown when I meet this white-faced kid? Because he is a troublemaker who can talk until you have a headache like this.

"Hey, Toey, where are you dragging me to?" I had just regained my composure when Toey tried to pull me and drag me by the arm to follow him.

"Hia, let's go look at our Arts booth. This year is even better than last year."

Are you saying that my generation is worse than your generation? So how do you know that this year is better than last year? Last year you haven't come to study here yet, you bastard.

Toey is a junior in my faculty. He and I are very close. So much so that many people misunderstood that we're code brothers. But we're not. In fact, Toey's Phi Code is Q. But these Phi Code and Nong Code were like Tom and Jerry. Every time they meet, they always bicker and tease each other. So Toey became close with me instead.

If we really count the time, it's only been over a semester that he and I have known each other. Maybe it's because my own Nong Code dropped out, or maybe it's because I'm a close friend of his Phi Code. When Toey couldn't play with Q, he'd come to play with me instead. Naturally we got closer with each other. Actually, Toey is an energetic and restless child who enjoys playing with everyone. The seniors also liked him. But no matter how much I like him, I'm not ready to face him alone yettttt. And now I was still being dragged out. Beer must be shocked that I suddenly disappeared. What about the phone that's still with me? Being born like me is really chaotic.

"Give way, give way, you bean-brained bastards. Do you see who I brought here?"

Toey broke out of the circle of his friends who are dancing vigorously, inviting passersby to come inside and play games. But when you look at them, no one would dare come in because all the kids standing outside the booth looked really scary. Who entered your dreams to inspire you to do the Halloween concept on Loy Krathong, you little ghosts?

"Oh, P'Peem, hello krapppp."

The juniors gave me a cursory 'wai' as a greeting, and I returned the gesture just as perfunctorily. The smell of alcohol mixed with cigarettes stuck in my nose and was everywhere.

Well, in universities there's no exception. Bottles of colorful soft drinks filled with all sorts of intoxicating drinks that they had mixed up were scattered on the floor. When I saw it, I couldn't help but pity the younger generation who did this instead of finding a thermos and putting it in properly so that it would be completely covered and easy to drink from.

I've never done it. I just got the tip from Pantip. Hehe.

[T/N: Drink alcohol from themos? 😮]

"Why are you here alone? Where's your faen? Hahaha." All the kids cheered and teased me for fun.

They liked to tease that Q and I were husband and wife, because we were attached to the hips all the time. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to vomit on my toes. It's really annoying when people think there's something between me and one of my closest friends, especially a friend like Q. I really couldn't accept it. I'm very picky ná.

[T/N: Yeah we know, you're super picky. But as I said "You get what you expected the least".]

"What a dog's mouth. Do you want my foot in your dog mouths?" That's not me but it was Toey who spread his wings to protect me with a solemn attitude.

"So possessive. So, are you Nong Code of P'Q or P'Peem's, Toey?"

"He's Nong Code of a dog." Oh, that's a good answer. I couldn't agree more.

"Hia, don't mind them. Let's go play games. Hurry up! Play with Toey."

"I'm not playing. I'm not going anywhere. I came with a friend." I resisted, refusing to follow the force of his pull. Toey wasn't much bigger than me. But why is he so strong?

"Which friend? Who? Is it P'Q?"

"No, you don't know? Your Phi Code is going out with a girl. But my friend who came with me will look for me, okay? I have his cellphone with me. Later, he'll have to perform as well."

"Then why didn't Hia Peem immediately tell Toey that you were coming with a friend? Toey just wanted to take Hia on a walk."

"Uh huh, you're so brave. You didn't even let me speak earlier. You never shut up since you appeared and then dragged me away. You didn't listen to me at all."

Toey smiled dryly and laughed hehe, looked annoyed like everytime I scold him. I angrily pushed his forehead, turning it to one side.

"If you still want to walk around, after watching Q singing, I'll take you for another walk if they haven't packed their things yet."

"Yeah, really? Treat Toey some snacks too na Hia! By the way, what stage is P'Q going to sing at?"

"Probably the Indie stage. He'll be up soon. Are you going to see him with me?"

"Go, go, go."

All the way from the Arts booth to the Indie concert stage, Toey ran around and wasted all the money in my pocket. What a kid with so much energy. Just seeing him makes me feel tired.

"Want some cotton candy, Hia. So delicious dêr*!"

"Why are you saying "dêr"? Are you addicted to Matt? Miss him even when you're eating. Just seeing you makes me feel greasy. But where is Matt? Normally I see you two attached like the Eng Chang twins."

[*Toey said อร่อยเด้อ /à-ròi dêr/. เด้อ/dêr/ is Isan language and equivalent to นะ/ná/. So I guess Matt is from Isan 😅]

** Eng Bunker and Chang Bunker (1811 –1874) were Siamese -American brothers whose fame propelled the expression "Siamese twins" to become synonymous for conjoined twins in general.

"He's dead."

"Who killed him?"

"Toey..." Hmmm? "...didn't kill (him)" You really suck at punctuating. I'm so disappointed that Toey accepted it with a deadpan face, no different from Araya in Hor Taew Tak.

*Legendary quotes from thriller comedies film Hor Taew Tak 2 (หอแต๋วแตก) (2009) "Do you know who kill Araya?" "Phayun... didn't kill (her)." It used to be a trend at that time. (Please keep in mind that this story was first published in 2010)

The Chinese faced boy nibbles his cotton candy, while giving me a big smile. Pink sugar smeared all over his cheeks, but he didn't care, and just continued running mischievously. His stubborn prominent nose could tell how spoiled its owner is. But there were still many people who secretly looked at him as if they wanted to put him in their bag and take him home with them. If it weren't for the fact that I know Toey's true nature, I'd probably think that this kid is very cute and adorable as well. But if you listen to him speak for just two minutes, I guarantee that you will change your mind immediately.

"When will Hia Peem grow up? You always look like a kid. Eat a lot so that you can grow up quickly and be tall like Toey."

[azzianna It's not true 😭😭... There's no choice with the genes 😭😭
*Toey is about 10cm taller than Peem, but he's also a petite like Peem.]

"You stupid kid, you give me back the money for water, snacks, dolls and playing balloon dart game." Because of having the same nature as your Phi Code, the two of you don't get along with each other.

"Give and then demand back. The bad habits. When you die, be careful, you'll become a Pop... Hia Tannnnnnnnn!!!!"

* Pop (ปอบ) is a spirit of . It manifests itself as a creature that likes to devour human .

Toey shouted loudly, calling out to Tan from several yards away. As for the person who was called, he was standing on the side of the stage with his arms crossed and his head gently bobbing to the rhythm of the music. Tan turned his head back to look at the same moment that Toey jumped up and hugged his neck. Hey, hold on, if you fool around (with him), you two might break each other's neck, or might have your necks get broken by Fang. I can only say in my heart that he is not the same Hia Tan you knew, Toey. He already has an owner. You don't go around hugging other people's faen blindly.

"Oh, where did you get this kid from?"

"I found him next to a trash can. Saw him sitting there crying. I took pity on him so I picked him up."

"No, Toey picked up Hia Peem from a shit pit. And Toey will also tell Hia Chan that you two are ganging up on me."

"Shit pit? Fuck you! Chan has already gone with his wife. There's no one to help you. You are definitely an abandoned dog, Toey."

Out of all my friends, I think Toey seems to be the most attached to Chan. Of course they know each other. I once took Toey to drink with us. After that, he threw me and Q away carelessly, because he had new brothers who like to pay. Tan and Chan like to spoil people, and they also like to pay. It probably came from the habit where they always try to please their girlfriends. So their friends also received benefits as well. Especially Toey who is attached to Chan like Uhu glue. Unfortunately, today his Hia Chan was no longer available.

[azzianna  I want a friend like them, 😁😁]

Toey handed him the blue cotton candy with pink accents. Tan only took a little and ate it. Then he wiped his sticky hand on Toey's shirt. The naughty boy didn't complain, but laughed loudly, competing with the sound of the loudspeaker. Q and the guys who were checking the sound of musical instruments on stage could still hear it. He scanned his eyes for the source of the sound for a while. When he saw us, Q gave (us) an irritating smile. He stared at Toey and said a silent greeting, understanding that Ai ห- เ-ีย - ◌้ (H-I-A bastard)

Toey pursed his lips, squinted his eyes, and blew the words back in the original direction. The Phi Code laughed with delight, and the Nong Code continued to lick the cotton candy in his hand as if nothing had happened. How is it? This code couple, they couldn't get on well with each other like I've told you before, right?

"Oh, that's Chan! Why did he go up there?!" I shouted, competing with the Likay singing near the indie stage. Now both the singer and the listeners may have some confusion..

"K, the bass guy, is drunk and was stopped by the police. It hasn't been cleared yet. He probably won't arrive in time. Q then let Chan play instead. Damn! It's so funny. I can imagine K's face. Until now, he's sitting in the police station laughing. I swear." Tan said and laughed.

"Shit, seriously, K, the Architecture kid, where did he meet the checkpoint? And Chan hasn't practiced, is he okay?"

"It's okay, our friend is a god." When it comes to praising a friend, please tell Tan, who is number one, "but K will probably come here soon."

"So where is Bam?"

"I heard that her friends came to bring her to a pub."

"Oh."

"Then why doesn't Hia Tan go play with Phi Q and Hia Chan?"

Tan shrugged, hugging Toey's neck, "I lost my passion for music, sweetheart, so I hung up my drumsticks a long time ago."

"Why did you hang them? And what's your passion now?"

"Hia has a passion for love, Nong Toey."

"Eeww, I'm going to vomit 🤮."

"Hahaha." Tan laughed when he saw my disgusted face, while Toey nodded as if he understood and continued to look at the cotton candy in his hand. If there was food to lure him, he would be quiet like this.

Talking about playing music, we formed a band when we were in high school. Probably in third grade. Q plays guitar, sings, and can play a million other instruments. Art, music, he wants to do it all. Melody Maestro and Canvas Virtuoso. Such a great artist, my friend. As for Chan, he plays bass and guitar. Tan plays drums, and plays guitar a little. I play guitar only. And Pan was the manager, managing our lives with his powerful voice. In fact, Pan can play the keyboard but refused to join the band because he gave an ultimatum that if he didn't become the singer, he would not lower himself to play with us. Of course, Q cut Pan out without any regret. Hahaha. If you ever listen to Pan singing once, you will understand and not blame Q for being so cruel. Believe me, because I was the one who experienced that disaster.

"So where's Fang, Tan?"

"Talking on the phone."

Tan nodded his head to the back. Fang was covering his mouth while talking on the phone. His face was black and serious. The area where we stood was next to the stage, right next to the loudspeakers. We were afraid our friends wouldn't see us come to cheer them on, so we had to come nearby. It doesn't matter whether our ears get hurt or we could be deaf, we just want to be able to cheer near our friends. That's enough. At first we tried to be in front of the stage, but there were already people standing there. Especially the girls, so crowded that there was no room to stand, including the fanclub of the singer from the band ฟันฟัน (FunFun).

Fun Fun was the name of our band since high school until entering university. Q still used this name to make a living because he was too lazy to think of a new name. The only thing that has changed is the band members. We have retired from the industry like Tan said. It's been a while since we picked up the guitar. There's only Q left who still loves playing music with all his heart. In fact, Q loves every form of art. So he held an audition to look for new members for the band Fun Fun.

Fun Fun means tooth/teeth, which can also mean funnie. Or you can translate it to have a connotation in numerous ways. Tan thinks about the debauched, depraved, dirty meaning. Let's assume that it comes from Tan's mouth.

[T/N: Guess Tan think of its verb form = to shag]

"Hello ladies, we're FunFun. Do you remember us? Wow, well, maybe we used to have fun together? But I can't recognize (you). The light wasn't turned on that night."

[T/N: 👊 you Q]

A group of older sisters in front of the stage screamed and melted with Q's smile and wicked introduction.

"Who doesn't have a partner for Loy Krathong yet? P' Beer, our guitarist, is still available."

The screams and shouts calling out to P' Beer, Nong Beer, Khun Beer were so loud. The gentleman with sweet smile gave out a heart-breaking smile to everyone before stopping and locking his eyes with mine. I smiled at Beer, relieved to see him come onto the stage in time with his body still in perfect condition. Beer smiled widely and also waved his hand in response,

"But P'Chan, the bass player, isn't available, because P'Chin, the drummer, has already made a reservation."

Chin played the drum, accepting Q's joke with perfect timing, calling out another round of screaming from the people in front of the stage. Chan laughed and seemed to turn around and scold Q. Then the sound of the drumsticks signaled the start of the fun. Their first song was a chill, sweet song หวานเย็น (Shaved Ice) from the band Mild. Q's voice is still as cool and charming as ever. What has changed is probably the skill that has developed. The audiences swayed and sang along, but most of them were delusional about the singer and the musicians. Hey, it's clearly a rock boy band. In the middle of the song, it seemed like Chan's bass jack had a problem. I saw him touch it every now and then and turned to say something to Beer.

When they got into the second song, there didn't seem to be any problem. They jumped to sing Linkin Park right away. Holy shit, you're so brave. Where did you take the time to practice? Most importantly, your English is so good, Q? I'm sorry I couldn't hold back my laugh. The singer gave us a cool smile and a wink as if he was teasing Of course I'm the man and distributed a handsome smile thoroughly.

Why does Q have so many fans? People these days like strange things. But it doesn't have to be, because anyone who holds the mic, singing or playing music always looks charming. Other people were not less competitive, because there was the loud voice of Mae calling out to P'Chan, P'Beer, and Nong Chin all around, including us screaming our friends' names teasingly.

"Hia Beer is so cool!!!!" Toey suddenly opened his mouth and shouted, cheering loudly. Tan and I were startled, thinking someone had stepped on his feet. The most important thing was we were curious about when he had known Beer.

"You even know Beer?!!!" Tan shouted.

"Of course!!! Hia Beer is a senior at Toey's old school!!!" Toey shouted in reply.

"Oh!!! You were of red and white blood*? Why didn't I know that?!!" Tan shouted back at him.

*Refering to students from Assumption College (โรงเรียนอัสสัมชัญ), a Roman Catholic all-boys private school in Bangkok. It is one of four schools which participates in Chaturamit Samakkee (mentioned in Chapter 1)

I really admire the efforts of the two of you. Shouting at each other without fear of bursting out your tonsils.

"Yessss, Hia Beer is also the president of Toey's favorite color team. His team was very famous. Toey was very close to them. But after they graduated, we didn't get together often. Plus, Toey has come to be with the gang of Hia Tan. Making me into a bad kid. Haizzz."

This one started to go into normal volume mode because Q and the guys had just finished playing the third song. They took a break to allow the aunts and the jumpers to catch their breath.

[T/N: First he called us older sisters, then Mae, now aunts. Next we would be called Grandmas???]

"Watch your mouth! Graduating from an elite school makes you smooth-talking? Haha, what's wrong with spoiling a kid? I, myself, am getting spoiled, lost face, lost money because of you."

*เสีย/sĭia/ 1. Spoil. 2. Lose, waste.
It's a clever play on words.

Tan locked Toey's neck under his armpit. Then he proceeded to rub his head until his hair was all ruffled. Toey, who liked to play rough, laughed with delight.

"I'll pay you two hundred baht. Go buy a garland and hang it around your Phi's neck. Do you dare, Toey?" He let the little brother be free. The naughty boy pursed his lips and made his face look like he was thinking hard.

"P'Q isn't that suitable for a garland."

"And what is suitable for him?"

"Funeral wreath"
[😂😂😂]

"Hahaha, don't waste your energy on making it for me, little brother." Tan laughed. Hit Toey's head until his face was hurt. This guy likes to tease his younger sibling harshly.

The atmosphere around me was filled with smiles, happiness, joy and fun. But why was I not having fun? It seems fun, but it's not fun. My chest felt so heavy that I wondered if someone threw rocks and logs at my heart. Damn it! What's happening to me? Why do I keep looking around like I'm looking for someone? Like you're waiting for something, What are you waiting for? Why are you waiting?

"Peem, I'm going to go pick up Pan and Mick. They can't find us. If Fang comes back, please tell him."

"Uh huh."

Tan's call called me out of my gloomy thoughts.

"Where are Hia Tan going?"

"I'm picking up friends. I'll be right back."

Toey nodded then swayed to the rhythm of the intro to the song where they changed the mic from Q to Beer. This sounds good, but he should probably sing more love songs than rock songs. Toey made a loud noise, singing and cheering for Beer until the people next to him turned and laughed. Plus, he grabbed my arm, lifted it up and made it wave with his. He also tried to get me to dance with him. When I didn't dance, he hit me with his light brown head on my shoulder. I was hurt, little demon. Then suddenly Toey stopped dancing.

"What's up?"

"It's like Hia Beer is looking at Hia Peem of Toey."

"Then why can't Beer guy look at me? He has eyes."

"Toey really means it. Look, Hia Beer is looking at Hia Pim and smiling."

If he doesn't smile, it's strange. I thought to myself before turning my eyes to look at Beer on stage, and it was true as Toey said. Bastard Beer was really looking at me and smiling at me, but not with any fascination in his eyes. His smile was more like a teasing smile. But I still didn't understand why the hell he was staring at my face while singing.

When he sang the song หวั่นไหว (Uneasy) of Bodyslams, suddenly, someone's face popped up in the middle of my thoughts. Damn it. Damn it.

"SHORTY!!!!!!"

The sound of shouting and the force of pulling on my collar from behind caused me to lose my balance and stumbled back under the force of the pull. I tried to turn my head to look at the person who dared to commit such a violent act among hundreds of civilians. And when I saw who that person was, I was surprised at how relieved I was to see... PHUM

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you gone crazy? Let me go!" I shouted when I regained consciousness.

Phum agreed to release his hand from my collar as I ordered. Instead, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me along.

"Hey, where are you going? What the fuck is wrong with you? What ghost is possessing you again?" I screamed loudly, trying to pull my arm out of his tight grip. I tried to ask for help from Toey, who was jumping around without paying any attention to the fact that his brother was about to be kidnapped by a thief.

[azzianna  Are u an accomplice Toey? U noticed Beer's gaze, yet, didn't bat an eye on Phum's abduction...
Sprite: I suspect there's more than one accomplice 🤔]

"Shout louder so people will pay more attention to us." Phum leaned over and spoke closer. I immediately shut my mouth. The people standing and huddling around me probably didn't realize what was happening. It happened because they were paying attention to the stage in front of me and the music was loud enough to drown out Phum and my voice. But if I yell at him, it's likely that we will attract their attention, including those on the stage.

When I looked up at the stage, I saw Beer smiling widely like he was ruling the world. Beer must know something. That was the last picture I saw before being dragged away from the crowd by this hellish bastard.

I don't know who will lose their virginities on Loy Krathong Day. But I'll definitely lose my life. Goodbye.

End of chapter 12 >>>>>>>>>>

Translator note: Welcome to the team azzianna   (Actually it's just me. I'm a one man team for sooo long) She is the proofreader of We are...คือเรารักกัน. We'll work together to improve the quality of the translation. 💃🏻💃🏻